He’s also the past president of Stop Smart Meters.ca, a citizen’s coalition to reverse BC Hydro’s imposition of the so-called "Smart Meter" without due consultation, and at great cost to British Columbians.

McGinnis' work with Stop Smart Meters was instrumental in bringing about the 2011 moratorium on Smart Meter installation at the Convention of the Union of B.C. Municipalities. Walt's also an electrical contractor specializing in "making the built environment safe from the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation."

Walt McGinnis in the first half.

And; a lot has changed in the year since Spain's central government brought out the Gardia to violently shut down pro-independence activists in restive Catalonia; and a lot hasn't. As it stands, Spain is still whole, though the leadership on both sides of last year's contretemps are out of power, but resentment is more than simmering in Barcelona, heart of the Catalan independence movement, where pitched battle was seen again in the streets between old foes last week.

Dr. Pablo Ouziel is a Post-Doctoral fellow at UVic whose project in progress is, ‘Towards Democratic Responses to the Crisis of Democracy in Spain: Forms of Participatory and Representative Civic Engagement.’ He's freshly returned from a visit to his home city of Barcelona.

Pablo Ouziel and a darkened horizon persisting for both Spain’s and European democracy in the second half.

And; Victoria-based activist and CFUV Radio broadcaster at-large, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events Bulletin of some of the good things to be gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Walt McGinnis and a 5th Generation dawning.